4 ms·
> The appendix is a far more likely candidate for garbage collection as it has no obvious function Preserving the gut microbiome through diarrhoea and vomiting
by wizzwizz4 3y ago
> The appendix is a far more likely candidate for garbage collection as it has no obvious function
Preserving the gut microbiome through diarrhoea and vomiting.
- ndsipa_pomu 3y agoI didn't know about that, but it seems a poor trade-off to me. Acute appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency in the world.
- brohee 3y agoYet most people never suffer it, while I'd assume 100% of the population suffered bouts of vomiting/diarrhea. Looks like the trade-off is alright.
- mcv 3y agoYeah, I suspect a lot more people have experienced diarrhea than appendicitis. If preserving gut bacteria is important enough, then the appendix clearly does have a function. But it might not be that important at all; do people with an appendectomy struggle more to recover from diarrhea?